Space Frontier Foundation and the COTS funding cut

A news release from the Space Frontier Foundation. Note that Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D-MD) is held responsible for the "anti-COTS language" in the budget bill. :

Congress plays Scrooge and guts COTS

December 24, 2007 For those of you who haven't heard, the US Congress has gutted one of the few NASA efforts we support. Congress is once again proving it is penny-wise and pound-foolish. America will spend $100 Billion, including Shuttle transportation costs, to develop the International Space Station, including $10 Billion over the next few years. But Congress intends to scrimp on the few hundred million dollars that NASA wants to invest to create an affordable commercial way to use the Station after the Shuttle is retired in 2010.

Congress is creating a classic catch-22 situation. We've already cut out most of the government money to use the ISS for its intended purpose. Nobody else in America can use it unless there is a dependable and low-cost way for them to get there. Unless COTS succeeds, the only way get there is via Russia, and Congressional action to gut COTS creates a Russian monopoly which makes that outrageously expensive. Our Chairman, Bob Werb, explained this to Brian Berger at Space News, as seen in this excerpt:

"The COTS cut is not going over well with space commercialization advocates.

'COTS is the critical path to station utilization for Americans. It needs more money not less,' said Bob Werb, the Space Frontier Foundation's chairman. 'If we aren't going to stimulate the creation of cheap access to station and aren't going to fund station utilization, we might as well just cancel the [international space station] now.' "

You can read the entire article by clicking the following link: Bob Werb in Space News

If you're even half as angry about this as I am, then it's time to let Congress know that you're mad as hell and not going to take it any longer. Even if it doesn't do any good, won't it just feel grand to let your Representative and Senator know how you feel!? And while you're at it, write a letter to your local newspaper editor.

If you want to communicate with the Member of Congress who is sponsoring this destructive anti-COTS language, I recommend calling or writing to Senator Barbara Mikulski, who can be reached at:

Senator Barbara Mikulski
Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510
PHONE: (202) 224-4654

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Jeff Krukin
Executive Director
a href="http://www.space-frontier.org" target="_d">Space Frontier Foundation

Posted 12/26/07 | 10:47:14 by TopSpacer | Filed under: Space Activism

Comments

What does anyone expect? The government of this country and the NASA have never wanted COTS or even a completely independent private space initiative.

There is a mindset in the federal and many state governments that ONLY government can "do" space exploration and that it is too important to be left to individual companies.

So, what happens; we get regulation and studies and other delaying tactics that allow companies to bleed capital to the point where they go out of business.

If COTS works for the ISS then internal NASA thinking is/will be that the agency is perceived to have failed and will have to accept that they are not the only game in town.

Frankly, I think that the US Government and the NASA are scared to death of any private space initiatives. You cannot tax or regulate people you cannot reach!

Posted by Andy Clark at 12/27/07 04:49:18

Strange. Judging by this:

http://mikulski.senate.gov/... (Feburary 2007)

...and other hits from Googling "COTS"+"Mikulski" she *seemed* to be supportive of it. I'd be very interested in knowing specifically what changed her mind (or who and how).

Posted by Frank Glover at 12/27/07 13:01:12

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